Thailand to cut transport costs

BANGKOK, June 23 (TNA) - The government is working out measures in a bid to cut goods transport costs to 13.2 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), from 15.2 per cent of the GDP currently, to boost Thailand's business competitiveness and to draw more international investment projects into the Thai economy. Thai Transport Minister Charupong Ruangsuwan spoke of the official policy during the weekly broadcast of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra Saturday, pointing out that transportation costs in Thailand are now much higher, compared to the United States, where goods transportation costs stand around 8.3 per cent of the country's GDP. Charupong acknowledged that his ministry has been, therefore, assigned by the prime minister to explore ways in lowering goods transportation costs in the country, and that, as part of the policy, the Thai government has a strategy to improve and further develop rail and marine transportation systems over the next couple of years. According to the minister, total capacity of marine transportation at Thailand's main Laem Chabang deep sea port in the eastern Chonburi province stands at some 5.8 million containers annually now and, to achieve full capacity at 10.8 million containers annually by 2019, the Thai government plans to build six more tracks of rail line to help raise transportation capacity by two million containers a year; while his ministry's Highways Department also plans to construct a motorway leading to the Laem Chabang deep sea port and a road link to the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in adjacent Rayong province. The minister said the state-run Expressway and Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand has its plan as well to construct a new elevated road leading to the Laem Chabang deep sea port. Meanwhile, Thai Deputy Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt indicated that once the construction of Myanmar’s Dawei deep sea port is complete in the coming years, it will then help support the Laem Chabang deep sea port in goods transportation to its western destinations. (TNA)